The City of Springfield is considering building a new, larger library. Monday, the City Council chose a possible site.
The current library inhabits a 24-thousand square foot space in the City Hall Building. Built in the late 1970s as a shopping mall, it’s not suited for the modern needs of a library. The Council chose city property across the street to the west as a potential site.
Springfield Public Library Director Rob Everett says he’d like the community involved in the process.
Everett: “This is that opportunity to get that information and to develop what a new library building could be and do for the community. So that’s a very positive, exciting thing to be a part of.”
Funding for a new library is still uncertain. But Everett says he’s heartened by the City Council’s support. Springfield’s plans for a new, improved facility come as libraries are closing to the south in Douglas County. Everett says he worked for that system early in his career and he’s sad to see the county losing that resource.